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Human rights rulings mean foreign criminals who the Home Office is struggling to remove from Britain cannot be kept behind bars indefinitely.

Concern: Tory MP Nick de Bois (left) said it is 'deeply worrying' that so many violent foreign criminals are on the run. The scandal is a serious blow to David Cameron (right) who has pledged to deport more foreign offenders

They can only remain in custody as
long as there is a reasonable prospect of officials being able to remove
them in the near future.

But
in many cases, human rights laws block their return. Other barriers can
include difficulties in obtaining a passport for offenders who
destroyed their travel documents on their arrival.

THE THUG WHOSE EX LIVES IN FEAR

Violent thug Kawa Ali Azad should have been deported five years ago.

Instead, the Iraqi failed asylum seeker is in Britain after twice going on the run while on bail granted by immigration judges.

He has six convictions for violence including an attack on the mother of his young son.

In 2009, he was flown all the way to Baghdad, but the Iraqi authorities refused to take him and sent him back.

Miss Doherty says she and their son live in ‘constant fear’ that he will return.

They had to be moved and she was given a new identity in case Azad attacked them again.

She carries a phone with a direct link to police.

As a result, even the most dangerous offenders can be let out on bail by a judge.

Tory MP Nick de Bois said: ‘It is deeply worrying that so many dangerous foreign criminals are walking the streets and urgent action must be taken to find them.

‘The British public are losing patience with so-called human rights claims putting them at risk. These criminals should by rights have been thrown out of this country and put back in jail in their country of origin.’

The new scandal is the latest blow to the reputation of the beleaguered immigration service, and is a serious blow to David Cameron, who has made personal pledges to deport more foreign offenders.

The freedom of information request was made in March last year, but despite a legal requirement to release the information after 21 days, no response was received until last month.

The Home Office refused to say which countries the offenders are from. It claimed releasing that information could undermine its ability to negotiate deportation agreements with foreign governments.

Officials also refused to say exactly how many criminals had committed particular offences – if the total was fewer than five – in case it could aid public identification.

But they said there were fewer than five criminals guilty of manslaughter, and at least one guilty of conspiracy to murder.

They admitted they did not classify the criminals according to how much of a risk they pose to the public.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We believe foreign nationals who break our rules should be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity.

‘Last year we removed more than 4,500 foreign national offenders. Where individuals abscond from our controls, we work closely with the police and probation services and employ specialist trace teams to return these individuals to prison.

‘Absconders are circulated on the Police National Computer and are added to our watch lists in case those who have left the country seek to re-enter.’